Post by MP on Sept 24, 2010 21:48:44 GMT

Dead RingersDavid Cronenberg 1988 Canada / USAIdentical twins, both leading researchers in gynaecology, exploit their physical similarity to bed women; but when one falls for an actress and becomes addicted to drugs, the other's jealousy and own obsessions become a problem. Fast-moving drama-cum-horror in which Jeremy Irons revels as both twins, a casting decision that not only demands a subtle, ranging performance from Irons but some clever camera trickery too. Cronenberg and co-writer Norman Snider make the most of the inherent ambiguities this 'identity problem' brings and craft an absorbing, multi-layered narrative of complimentary ideas and themes that exposits information on a confident, need-to-know basis. It begins as an interesting and often amusing story preoccupied with 'the body' as a manifestation of unique identity, and becomes more melodramatic as one brother becomes jealous over the other's growing physical and therefore mental (the twins are called 'Mantle') independence; but as it progresses, something deeper still is at work, something beyond mere jealousy: the heartbreak of having to come to terms with their own separateness despite their physical similarity, which carries both the film's air of horror and its lasting emotional resonance.See also: DAVID CRONENBERG.